The score on the stand

An original commentary about performing music from memory.

When a player walks on stage without a score, I may admire the preparation that made it possible. I do not assume that the absence of paper tells me everything important about the performance. Memory is visible in an unusual way: we notice the page which is not there.

Learning a piece by heart can create freedom. A performer may look towards other players, move without planning where to turn a page and feel a long passage as a connected shape. For some musicians, those possibilities are part of the reason for choosing it.

For another player, the effort of guarding against a memory slip may consume attention which could have gone into phrasing or listening. A score can provide enough reassurance to make a more alert performance possible. The object on the stand may support engagement rather than prove its absence.

The occasion also matters. A solo recital, a rehearsal and a performance of a new piece can place different demands on musicians. A habit useful in one setting should not become an automatic measure of seriousness in every other.

I would rather hear how a choice serves the music than rank performers by the amount of paper they carry. Admiration for one skill need not erase the other skills through which a performance reaches us.

Explain why the writer thinks performing without a score should not be the sole measure of a musician’s achievement.